It’s been a few years since I have done some Wedding Photography in Kintyre but on the 8th of July 2023 I photographed the Wedding of Will and Stephen in Tayinloan Village Hall, Kintyre, Argyll.
And what a day it was.
I was excited, nervous but also humbled as Will had approached me requesting me to photograph his wedding for them as he liked my photography. Will is a keen and excellent photographer himself so hearing this made me feel good.
So I said yes…
And the planning started, check out my post if you want to know how a photographer plans for your wedding and see what’s involved
Please note that not all images from the Wedding are in this post, I have selected only a small amount from the album for this post.
Should you wish to view the complete album then please contact Will or Stephen and ask them for the details to login.
The Forecast
All week the forecast was looking awful, so much so that Will and Stephens original plans of the marquee tent were put off and plan B was put into place.
Luckily, Tayinloan Village Hall was available and with it being my first time in it I had a wee recce when Will and Stephen were getting setup one night.
We had already discussed what was happening on the day in terms of photographs but it was nice to meet face to face just to clarify the details.
The hall was perfect for them, and in terms of photography it was looking good, I was happy with what was available, I also scouted a few locations nearby for their private shoot and found 3 suitable locations, as well as having the beach should the weather give us the chance.
Here we go! Wedding Photography in Kintyre
So the big day arrives and we are ready for it. I say we as my wife, Liz, was my beautiful assistant on this day, and going forward as she will help me out and I’ll tell you, she did help.
When I did Wedding Photography before I had always done it on my own, but having someone there to help out makes a huge difference, even if they think they are not doing much, being there just helps.
Details
We headed out to the village hall at first to get some detail shots before the mayhem started and also just a final check on the lighting conditions as I was planning on not using my flash until the evening.
The light was fine, no flash was needed. The girls from The Platinum Bar were there just finishing up so after a wee yarn and the detail shots we headed up to the farm to meet Will and Stephen to get some Pre Ceremony images.
Pre Ceremony Images
We had a plan, but like all good plans, they change. This is why you have to be very adaptable at Wedding Photography. We reacted to the change and headed to a field that had some beautiful wild flowers sown into it. The landscape photographer in me loved what he saw.
In my mind I wanted the flowers to lead the viewer out to Will and Stephen in the distance.
The weather in photography terms was good, at this stage I had nice diffused light, but that didn’t last long as the thin layer of alto-cumulus cloud blew away and the harsh light came in and the wind picked up.
Still, we cracked on and got some stunning images.
I was moving Will and Stephen as much as I could to counter the harsh sunlight but couldn’t do too much as I would then have had to compose without the flowers, not what I was wanting.
We moved further down the field onto the top of a hill which overlooked Gigha and Islay and got some more images there, a quick look at the back of the camera and I was happy with what I had captured in this 15 minute shoot.
Horses
Part of the original plan was to get some shots of the horses, as Will and Stephen were originally going to ride down to the ceremony with the horses and cart, but changed the plans due to the weather.
However, we had plenty of time so went to the field they were in and Stephen called on them and within seconds they came galloping to him, it was a nice moment to capture as they answered his call.
And, naturally I captured some images of Will and Stephen interacting with them before their big day as the horses play a big role in the farm and in Will and Stephens lives in general.
Guests at the Ceremony
We arrived at the ceremony venue as the guests were arriving, so we got set up quickly and took some candid shots of the guests mingling with each other.
One thing that was to be the tone for the day for me was having to jump in and out of different settings from inside to outside. My camera has settings I can pre programme for this, however it is actually something I have never used, but will in the future.
Luckily I could remember what my settings were for inside each time I was coming back in, but that may not always be the case and it would be a lot quicker flicking one switch rather than 2 or 3, especially when the moment you want to capture is happening inside but you are set up for outside.
I also took this opportunity to introduce myself to the minister on the day, Scott, who I have to admit was one of the best ministers I have had the pleasure to work with. I could tell straight away he knew his stuff as he had told me that he had already told Will and Stephen to slow things down.
What a joy to hear. There has been times in the past where I have the groom give the bride the quickest peck on the lips ever and you are lucky if you capture it or not.
But Scott told them, take your time putting on the rings and when giving the kiss. I wish all the officiants were like that.
In terms of photography setup I decided to go with my 85mm f1.8 and my 24-70mm f2.8, the hall was a bit tight for the 70-200mm f2.8 at this stage.
The Ceremony
It wasn’t long before Will and Stephen arrived, and early may I add! It was time to get the game face on.
The venue was set out perfectly for them to walk straight down the middle of the hall, so I positioned myself for them coming in the door, and waited.
Scott asked everyone to stand up, here we go, get ready Jamesy…it’s go time.
Will was first to walk through the door followed by Stephen, the hall erupted into a wall of noise as everyone clapped and welcomed them, I kicked into action. Take a look at some of the images below to see them make their entrance.
From here, Scott done a great job of the ceremony and I was just going from side to side to the back, to the side, back to the other side…well you know what I mean.
After the ceremony it was time for the happy couple to leave and walk back down the aisle, just take a look at their faces as they walk back down through their guests, happiness personified.
After Ceremony
For me, in terms of photography this part of the day can be the hardest. This very much depends on the venue and guests.
As this is the part where I try and capture the guests enjoying themselves. This helps the happy couple see the bigger picture of their day, they won’t see some of the random bursts of laughter, or acts of kindness etc that their guests produce throughout the day so when they look through their online gallery or the USB stick they get a nice surprise seeing their guests enjoying themselves.
And i feel these images add to the story of their wedding and capturing these moments can be hard at times, especially when guests are aware you are photographing them.
So, it’s on with the 70-200mm f2.8 and get as far away from the guests as you can and observe, anticipate and capture.
This is critical for the genuine feeling in the image. When someone is letting out that belly laugh and you capture it, that tells a fantastic story of a guest enjoying themself, however, if they see you pointing the camera at them, that moment is gone in an instant.
I hate it when people notice me and stop what they are doing and be polite and smile at the camera…don’t, stop it. Carry on what you were doing, that was the moment I could see happening or about to happen that I wanted.
Anyway, here are a few of those natural photo-journalistic moments from after the ceremony.
Speeches
After a fantastic meal it was time for the speeches, with lots of stories, jokes, tales and everyone had a good laugh at Will and Stephens expense, as seen in a few of the images below.
Private Shoot
I had split the private shoot into two for today due to the weather. I initially took Will and Stephen to a tree just round the corner from the hall for the first part.
This was due to the really harsh light from the high sun. The weather was playing ball today for us, well not in photographic terms.
10 minutes here and we got some stunning images.
Later on, we decided to hit the beach in the hope that the sun was going to light up the sky at sunset. We got a few minutes of nice light before it disappeared and we changed location so we made the most of that.
I really like these images. I wanted to do more but it was actually still very windy and getting cold so I didn’t want to keep Will and Stephen much longer.
Ceilidh
The band, Loch Dubh, had already set up and the Ceilidh got underway resulting in some terrific images of the guests enjoying a right good shindig, craic, great music and drinks.
For the Ceilidh I went for the 24-70mm and my 50mm lenses to get in close with the party, whilst at times zooming out to 70mm to back off when required.
I did set up an off camera flash but ended up switching this off as I was getting good enough shutter speeds at the settings I had and I also put on an on camera flash just in case but this wasn’t needed either.
Conclusion
So, the first wedding I have photographed in a while and I absolutely loved it, I cannot wait to do it again so if you are looking for Wedding Photography in Kintyre or elsewhere for that matter as we are willing to travel then check out the Wedding Photography Packages I have at the moment or Contact Us for more info.
It was also really nice to work with my wife, Elizabeth. She has always been very complimentary of my wedding photography in the past and was interested to see me work a wedding, plus it was nice being in charge for a while…that won’t last long lol.
I don’t think she realised just how much effort and preparation went into it until she saw it and then me putting it all into practise, plus she did say she was impressed as I was very professional, I’ll take that lol.
Feel free to check us out on Social Media at the links below and give us a wee follow, like and share with anyone you know who is looking for a Wedding Photographer.
Also, have a look at the quick video below on how I work in the Pre Ceremony photoshoot and feel free to share.
Finally
Thank you to Will and Stephen for requesting us to photograph your wedding day. It meant so much to me and it was the perfect day to get back into it, so again, thank you very much and we wish you both all the best for the future.
James and Liz
Oh, before I go, we are delighted that we have been placed in the top 30 Best Scotland Wedding Blogs and Websites so please feel free to check that out.